Creating a new regulatory framework for CCIs in Gabon
Gabon is spearheading Central Africa’s move towards formal creative economy through the implementation of a cultural roadmap adopted by the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) in 2018. The roadmap calls member states to resume efforts to strengthen their cultural and creative industries (CCIs) through creating appropriate policies in a participatory manner. While Gabon has taken a number of initiatives to harness opportunities offered by CCIs, the country is yet to finalize its cultural policy to provide a concrete vision for the future. During this project, Gabon will revisit and revise its 2011 draft cultural policy to incorporate additional measures that reflect current trends in the sector. The policy will also integrate measures aimed at stimulating job creation, entrepreneurship, growth of micro, small and medium enterprises, and empowerment of women and girls in CCIs. The project responds to the following needs identified by the Ministry of Sports, Leisure, Culture and Handicrafts:
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In 2011, Gabon initiated efforts to create a cultural policy to boost its creative sector; the project supports the revision and finalization of the draft texts in a participatory manner with the aim of adopting it into law.
The 2011 draft cultural policy did not provide sufficient attention to the economic dimension of CCIs. Consultations with stakeholders are expected to produce measures that stimulate job creation, entrepreneurship, the growth of micro, small, and medium enterprises and the formalization of CCI activities.
The project supports designing gender-specific measures to encourage the participation of women and girls in CCIs, in line with Gabon’s strategy for women adopted in 2015 and Women’s Decade.
- March 2020: First international expert mission and project launch.
- August 2020 to January 2021: Series of consultations per subsector in several provinces resulting in a comprehensive overview and recommendations by the sector on what challenges they are facing, such as the lack of creative spaces and the need for training.
- May 2021: Peer-to-Peer mission to Burkina Faso by a selected delegation, including the Secretary General of the Ministry of Culture and Arts.
- February 2022: Three-day capacity-building workshop to present a first draft of the suggested regulatory framework and its action plan.
- Spring 2022 (expected): The presentation of the finalized Action Plan